Happy Holidays
by kuroange1
Summary: Ike sits alone at home, waiting for Karen to come back. The last few minutes of Christmas are ticking away, and it's hard to find time together. It's the holidays, and surprises are in store when they finally get some time together. Rated T to be safe and bleh, not too much humor, and the romance might be cheesy. Fair warning ahead of time.


Here's another IkeKaren fic for you guys (or anyone who bothers to read whatever I post). Late by a day, but meh. I TRIED. They're in their early 20s by the way, recently done with college. So without further ado, here's the story.

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It was nearing midnight as Ike sat on the large sofa facing the fireplace. Winter was unforgiving with its cold temperatures and busy schedules. His case files were strewn across the large coffee table in front of him, forgotten as the clock ticked forward.

The fire crackled as he watched the clock, glancing at the door now and then. "I guess it can't be helped.." he mumbled to himself as the clock struck a quarter to midnight. The soft chiming from the large time piece echoed through the apartment. The clock had been a gift from one of the other tenants of the apartment complex, a welcoming present for the couple when they moved in.

Ike glanced once more at their beige door, which showed no signs of budging any time soon, before giving a small sigh. He shifted the blankets he'd grab to keep warm, reaching forward to reach his case files. He went about collecting his papers replacing them in their respective folders, tucking everything back into his briefcase. With that mess out of the way, he strode into the kitchen to make himself a cup of hot chocolate.

_Guess I'll have to wait until morning.._ Despite that thought, he had already prepared a second cup by the time the clock had begun to chime midnight.

_Ting..._

He walked out of the kitchen, resuming his spot on the sofa.

_Ting... Ting..._

He set the second cup on the table and slid his briefcase across the floor. It slid to a stop beside the door, making a quiet thunk as it hit the wall.

_Ting... Ting... Ting..._

Watching the clock chime ever slowly, he closed his eyes. Christmas was almost officially over, and Karen wasn't home yet.

_Ting... Ting..._

He perked up as shuffling was heard by the door. The familiar sound of keys clinking was louder than usual as the doorknob jiggled and the door creaked open ever so softly.

_Ting... Ting... Ting..._

Karen panted as she set her bag down and locked the door behind her. Brown eyes lit up in surprise as she spotted Ike on the sofa, glancing back at her with equal surprise.

_Tiing..._

The last chime rang and the room fell silent once again, save for the crackling of the fire. Karen smiled softly at her boyfriend, noticing the extra cup of hot chocolate sitting on the table. She walked across the room to join him on the sofa. "I guess I'm too late to say Merry Christmas huh?"

Ike gladly swung the blanket around her as well when she moved to sit next to him. "I was starting to think I wouldn't be able to see you until morning."

"Hmm." She took a thankful sip of her hot chocolate, savoring the warmth. "You didn't have to wait for me you know?"

"I wanted to." The noirette easily replied as he continued with his drink as well. He glanced over at the brunette, noting her flushed cheeks and slightly disheveled hair. "..Did you run back here?"

Karen grinned sheepishly as she snuggled further into the warmth the blanket offered. "So I got caught. What gave it away?" She blew a strand of hair out of her face. "Actually nevermind, it's probably pretty obvious from the way I look huh? There was a fight three blocks down and it was difficult to maneuver through the crowd that gathered."

He probably displayed a concerned look because Karen quickly assured him that she didn't get caught up in anything and the fight was long over by the time she passed through. "So did anything happen, or were you just working overtime?"

"Overtime on Christmas? As believable as that sounds, my boss isn't that cruel of a person. He had Christmas plans of his own so we closed up shop a bit earlier than usual."

Ike raised an eyebrow questioningly. "Then what were you doing out so late?"

Karen took another sip of hot cocoa, choosing her words carefully. "I had something I needed to take care of. So why did you stay up waiting for me today?"

Ike leaned away from Karen, reaching over the side of the couch. He picked up a red box laced with green ribbon. "I forgot to give you your Christmas gift this morning." The two of them set down their cups as Karen thankfully received the gift. "Guess I'm late now, sorry."

Karen airily as she opened the gift. "No, no, it's my fault I came back so late. I wanted to spend at least the last hour of Christmas with you." She skillfully undid the ribbon and wrapping without as much as ripping a single bit. Her eyes widened at the sight. She slowly pulled out the porcelain gift, awed by the intricate details decorating the lid.

The noirette reached out to the box's underside, winding the key there. The two of them opened the music box together, filling the room with the soft melody.

"I... don't know what to say. T-Thank you Ike." She set the box down gently on the table. "I have the inkling that this cost quite the pretty penny though." She kissed him on the cheek. "You didn't have to go through all this trouble for me."

However, Ike caught the excited glimmer in her eyes as she glanced at the box. He smiled brightly in return. "It was no trouble at all. You deserve it." The music came to a slow stop and he watched her close the box. "Besides, I recall you telling me that you used to have one."

Karen laughed and leaned into Ike. He gladly wrapped his arms around her, but gave her a puzzled look.

"What? Was I wrong?"

"No, No, it's not that." She kissed him through her fit of giggles. "It's just awfully sweet of you to give me a music box to replace my broken one."

"It's hardly a replacement since your previous one was a gift from your mother."

Karen's giggles subsided as she enjoyed Ike's embrace. "Ike, it's fine. It broke because it's time was up. It may be a precious gift from my mom, but it's not like it's the only thing I have left of her." She gave a small chuckle. "Jog my memory for a bit. What did I actually tell you about that music box?"

Ike shrugged. "Not much, to be honest. I only know that it was one of a few parting gifts you got from your mother before..." he trailed off, unsure of what to say, but then resumed after a slight cough, "I don't know much about what it looks like though. You seemed to talk about it with such fondness and awe, so I assumed that it must have been gorgeous. I'm sorry if the music box didn't meet your expectations-"

Karen cut him off with a laugh and rested her head on his shoulder. "Ike, do you really think my mother could afford to give me a music box fancier than this one?" She gestured to the intricately designed box. "Remember the background I came from."

The noirette chuckled with a slight blush. "Oops. I guess you make a good point there."

Karen glanced at the box again, and a smile pulled at her lips. "Really though, thanks for the gift. I love it." She tapped the box her finger. "This is going right on my dresser where I can see it every morning."

Ike pulled her closer and kissed her forehead. "I'm glad you like it."

Karen wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned in close. "So, it's a bit late for Christmas wishes, but is there anything in particular that you wanted?"

The noirette wrapped his arms around her waist and hugged her closer as well. "I'm already happy enough that I have you. I'm satisfied just living together with you." Closing the distance between them, he gave her a soft kiss, relaying his feelings.

Karen kissed back with the same thought, mumbling "I love you" as she pulled away. They smiled happily at each other. The brunette was the first to break the comfortable quiet pause. "Ike, the past ten years have been the happiest times of my life." She reached into her coat pocket. "You don't know how thankful I am to have met you." She pulled out a small green box, decorated with a red ribbon on top. She gave a mirthful laugh, smiling shyly at the noirette.

Ike smiled in return. "Karen.." The brunette placed a finger to her lips and continued her smiling. She still held the small present in her hand, not making any movements to hand it over just yet.

"You have accepted me all these years despite my flaws. I've always been chastised for acting too boyish, or unfeminine. But despite all that, you continue to love me, and it truly makes me happy knowing that you continue to stand by my side." She held the gift in the palm of her hand, undoing the ribbon deftly and letting it fall.

Ike was a bit puzzled by her impromptu speech, but he continued to watch her, listening carefully. Karen probably had a good reason for her actions, so he paid close attention to the box in her hands as she continued speaking.

"I apologize for my boyish tendencies, but I love you very much." She removed the lid of the present and pulled out a _very_ familiar black box. "Ike, will you bless me with your company the rest of our lives?" The brunette opened the box to reveal a smooth gold band. "Please marry me." She gave him a bright, yet nervous smile.

The noirette was growing redder by the second, shocked speechless. The words took a few more seconds to fully register in his head, and he laughed. "Of course I'll marry you, Karen." The brunette gleefully placed the ring on his left hand.

"I got a matching one for myself too." She pulled off her glove to show the nearly identical ring on her left ring finger as well. "So while mine has your name engraved on the inside, yours has mine." She grinned at him and laced their fingers together. "Aaaand now you know why I came home late today. Sorry I couldn't give this to you on Christmas day."

Realization dawned on Ike as he took in the long hours his girlfrien- _fiancé, _had worked lately. "...Wait. How much did these rings cost? Is this why I have barely been able to see you lately?"

Karen scratched her cheek with a slight blush. "Caught again. Yea, I've kind of been working overtime and a few odd jobs here and there to pay for these." She grinned happily and held up their interlaced hands. "It was totally worth it though. My only regret is not making it in time for Christmas."

Ike gladly pulled Karen into another kiss. "It's the thought that counts." He chuckled, glancing down at the gold band adorning his finger. "I never would have expected you to propose though..."

Karen smirked at the noirette. "Well, I figured it was time to stop beating around the bush since it would probably take you a long time to finally work up the courage to ask."

"Hey! I was going to ask you soon!" Ike shoved her slightly, offended by the statement.

"Riiight. Like how it took you a full two years before asking me to live together in an apartment with you?" Karen raised an eyebrow. "You think I didn't know how long you contemplated the idea before finally asking?"

"Hmmph. That and this are completely unrelated matters." Ike crossed his arms and huffed.

_Ting..._

The quiet chime startled the two lovers slightly. "When'd it get this late?"

"It's already 1am, where does the time go?" Ike re-wrapped the blanket around the two of them. "So let's try to get some sleep before we have to get up tomorrow."

Karen grinned. "I have the day off from all the overtime I worked, so I'm allowed to sleep in."

"Glad we think along the same line." Ike grinned and kissed her one more time. "Guess we're spending the day together tomorrow then. Night Karen."

"Night Ike."

The pair drifted off to sleep as the clock continued to tick forward. Pleasant dreams awaited as they enjoyed the warm embrace of each other.

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**A/N:**So apologies for being a day late! And I'm sorry if this was terribly written cause it's late and lack of sleep and blah blah blah excuses. This happened because I couldn't think of a gift to get Ike. SO WHY NOT HAVE KAREN PROPOSE?! /shot

The rings are about 24-karat each, so that's why she had to scrap up enough money for them. Any other questions I can't remember to answer now can be asked in a review and I'll gladly answer them then. *basically shamelessly asking for reviews*

Hope ya guys enjoyed this even if only a little bit.


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